Coronavirus: Singapore confirms 4 new cases as biggest cluster around Grace Assembly of God church swells to 21
- Singapore has 81 confirmed cases of the coronavirus but 29 have recovered and left hospital
- DBS Bank has confirmed that another employee tested positive for the coronavirus after 300 employees were evacuated from office last week
Three of the new cases – a 57-year-old woman, a 38-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man – had no recent travel history to China but have been linked to an existing cluster at a church in Singapore’s Tanglin district called the Grace Assembly of God, which connects 21 of the city state’s confirmed infections.
The other new case is a 35-year-old Malaysian national with a Singapore work pass. She also has no recent travel to history to China but is part of a cluster including three other previously confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, DBS Bank has confirmed that another employee tested positive for the coronavirus.
The newly infected DBS employee works in the bank’s satellite office, which is understood to be at Ngee Ann City along Orchard Road.
Singapore on Monday announced two new cases, including Case 77 – a 35-year-old man who had not been to China recently and had been in close contact with Case 50, the 62-year-old DBS employee.
DBS said the latest patient was placed under quarantine last week before he was diagnosed.
“We are rendering every support to him and his family during this period. We have also identified those who were in close contact with him, and are taking the same precautions as we did with the first case,” its spokesperson said.
“We have a framework for contact tracing, which we execute through a mix of physical interviews and data analytics. Through this, we are able to contact-trace up to three degrees of separation.”
The bank added that the satellite office has been deep-cleaned. Ngee Ann City’s management also said common areas such as lifts and toilets were being disinfected, and the affected office space and floor at Tower A had been closed off.
Singapore on Monday strengthened its containment measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, requiring citizens and residents returning from mainland China to stay at home at all times for a 14-day period.
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Under the new Stay Home Notice regulations, returning Singaporeans and residents are not allowed to leave their homes to buy food or household staples.
Singapore Airlines on Tuesday said it would temporarily cut 670 flights on 96 routes across its global network in March, April and May due to weaker demand as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. The city state also said it expected visitor numbers to drop by a quarter or more this year.
Additional reporting by Today Online
